Bill Alexander (painter)

William Alexander (born Wilhelm Alexander;^[1] 2 April 1915 – 24 January 1997) was a German painter, art instructor, and television host. He was the creator and host of The Magic of Oil Painting (1974–1982) television series that ran on PBS in the United States. He co-wrote The Art of Bill Alexander and … (1987–1995), a series of books on wet-on-wetoil painting, based on different PBS series of the same form. He also taught the television painter Bob Ross his signature "quick" wet-on-wet technique.

Wilhelm Alexander was born in Berlin to a family of East Prussian origin. His family had fled to Berlin during World War I, and returned to their home in Rautenberg (now Uzlovoye and part of Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast) after the war.

Apprenticed as a carriage maker, Alexander was drafted into the Wehrmacht during World War II. Captured by Allied troops, he painted portraits of Allied officers' wives and he soon made his way to the United States.^[2]

After World War II, Alexander was a refugee and became a professional painter. He pioneered the modern "quick" version of the 15th century wet-on-wet technique, and moved to North America.

Later, known as Bill Alexander, he began hosting television shows focused on painting education and his methods.^[1] He is best known for the television program The Magic of Oil Painting which ran on PBS in the US from 1974 to 1982. He teamed with other artists on several different PBS series of the format The Art of Bill Alexander and … that ran from 1984 to 1992. These artists started with Lowell Speers and included Robert Warren, Sharon Perkins and Diane André. Alexander and the second featured artist would alternate episodes, with both painters using the wet-on-wet method. This series was turned into a series of books "as seen on television".

Alexander moved to Sproat Lake in British Columbia, Canada, in the early 1990s. He retired due to a heart attack and a stroke, and died on 24 January 1997.^[3]

El presentador de televisión y prolífico pintor Bob Ross estudió con Alexander, de quien aprendió su técnica húmedo sobre húmedo , un método para pintar rápidamente usando capas cada vez más delgadas de pintura al óleo. ^{[ 4 ]} Ross mencionó en el primer episodio de The Joy of Painting que había aprendido la técnica de Bill Alexander, calificándola como "la forma más fantástica de pintar que jamás hayas visto". ^{[ 4 ]} Ross también dedicó el primer episodio de la segunda temporada a Alexander, explicando que "siento que me dio un regalo precioso, y me gustaría compartir ese regalo con ustedes [los espectadores]". ^{[ 5 ]}

A medida que crecía la popularidad de Ross, su relación con Alexander se fue deteriorando cada vez más. En una entrevista de 1991 con The New York Times , Alexander dijo sobre Ross: «Me traicionó. Yo inventé la técnica "mojado sobre mojado". Yo lo entrené y él me está copiando; lo que me molesta no es solo que me haya traicionado, sino que crea que puede hacerlo mejor». ^{[ 6 ]}

Los historiadores del arte han señalado que la técnica "húmedo sobre húmedo" (o alla prima ) se originó en Flandes durante el siglo XV y fue utilizada por Frans Hals , Diego Velázquez , Caravaggio , Paul Cézanne , John Singer Sargent y Claude Monet , entre muchos otros. ^{[ 7 ] [ 8 ]} Sin embargo, Alexander inventó el paso de imprimar el lienzo con una capa de pintura blanca líquida fina (a la que Alexander denominó "Blanco Mágico") y diseñó el tipo de espátula empleada, que es más grande, más firme y tiene un borde recto. Ambas invenciones son fundamentales para su técnica húmedo sobre húmedo.

• Alexander, W. (1983). La historia de Bill Alexander: una autobiografía . Kendall Hunt. ISBN 0840329903.
• Alexander, W. (1989). Secretos de la magia de la pintura al óleo . Walter Foster.
• Alexander, W. (1990). La magia de la pintura al óleo . Walter Foster. ISBN 0929261372.
• Alexander, William (1997). Paisajes: Aprende a pintar paso a paso . Walter Foster. ISBN 0929261607.
• Möller, Jorg-Michael (2024). El artista olvidado William "Bill" Alexander . ISBN 3758327202.

• Lista de pintores alemanes

• Canal de YouTube con vídeos de instrucciones de pintura de Bill Alexander.